Sideboard Guide

A guide for sideboarding against each Legacy archetype – explaining what to take out and bring in against those decks. Keep in mind that this is a rough tutorial and sometimes straying from these instructions is correct. Situations, game states and the opponent often call for a different plan of attack.

» Download a PDF sideboard guide

What if effective in this matchup?

“If the opponent is strong in the early game and has a good long-game, how does TES win?” It plays a different game. Cards such as [[Veil of Summer]], [[Defense Grid]], and sometimes even sideboard options such as [[Carpet of Flowers]] allow the deck to overwhelm the opponent by playing the game differently. These cards are all “must-answers” and if the opponent doesn’t, there’s a good chance that they’re not long for this world. How TES overwhelms the opponent is building a presence, start off by getting a copy of [[Wishclaw Talisman]] in play along with some artifact mana. Then cast something like a “must-counter” business spell or [[Defense Grid]] . Now, protect the spells with [[Veil of Summer]] from hand or even in the deck with the [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. The deck is able to not feel pressured to race [[Deafening Silence]] due to having access to a pair of [[Abrupt Decay]] which can be searched for.

A friendly reminder that the stipulation on [[Wishclaw Talisman]] is that it can only be used during your turn, meaning it can be used as instant speed.

With [[Defense Grid]] or a business spell backed by multiple copies of [[Veil of Summer]], it becomes tough for the opponent to keep up. Part of this is due to the clunky nature of some of the control decks. With business spells that cost three or four mana and some of the answers costing up to two mana, TES can really pick and choose its spots for when TES wants to move in for the kill. With the rise of [[Oko, Thief of Crowns]], it’s key to remember to use [[Veil of Summer]] to protect an important permanent like a [[Wishclaw Talisman]], [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], or [[Hope of Ghirapur]] (if the list has them).

An added benefit of the protection spells being heavy hitting, must-counters, is their effects and how it synergizes with the deck. [[Echo of Eons]] is a reasonable “Storm-engine” against blue-based Control decks when paired with [[Veil of Summer]] and [[Defense Grid]] as they won’t be able to interact with their freshly drawn hand from [[Echo of Eons]]. [[Thoughtseize]] however, isn’t as ideal, but plays a different role in discarding permanent based hate or providing critical information.

Sideboarding Concepts

[[Deafening Silence]] is rising in stock from blue-based control decks, which means in post-board games, it’s rare to activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] before passing the turn back to the opponent. TES can help prepare for [[Deafening Silence]] by siding in [[Abrupt Decay]] as a clean answer. Try to cast copies of [[Abrupt Decay]] when the opponent is unable to cast [[Veil of Summer]], which is actually similar to how [[Thoughtseize]] should be played as well.

With The EPIC Storm having a main-deck win condition ([[Tendrils of Agony]] — since v10.0) the need to sideboard in a sideboard copy of a Storm spell is no longer necessary. This means the days of sweating a timely [[Surgical Extraction]] on [[Burning Wish]] from the opponent are gone! Do not feel pressured to sideboard in an additional win-conditions is the message here.

The cards sided out are pretty standard at this point, taking out [[Mox Opal]] and a [[Chrome Mox]] have become pretty standard due to the popularity of [[Collector Ouphe]], [[Null Rod]], and [[Stony Silence]]. To combat this [[Carpet of Flowers]] comes in from the sideboard as a major mana-producing upgrade. [[Abrupt Decay]] then slides in as well to destroy the aforementioned permanents that stop the artifacts from working properly.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Control’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Force of Will]]
[[Force of Negation]]
[[Plague Engineer]]
[[Oko, Thief of Crowns]]
[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Snapcaster Mage]]

Sideboard

[[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]]
[[Counterbalance]]
[[Deafening Silence]]
[[Rest in Peace]]
[[Pyroblast]]
[[Collector Ouphe]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Defense Grid]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Ad Nauseam]]

Sideboard

[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Carpet of Flowers]]
[[Tendrils of Agony]]
[[Peer into the Abyss]]
[[Echo of Eons]]

Sideboarding

Grixis Control:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

BUG Control:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

BUG Leovold:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

4c Control:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Miracles:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Stoneblade:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Resource Links

Articles

09-25-2019 TES Matchup Battles: UW Stoneblade by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-22-2019 Through the Looking Glass: 4c Snow Control with Rugved Karhade by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

08-13-2019 Matchup Mulligan: 4c “Snow” Control by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-12-2019 TES Matchup Battles: 4c Control II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

06-24-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Miracles II with Lawrence Harmon on theepicstorm.com

06-17-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Miracles II by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

04-24-2019 Matchup Mulligan: UW Stoneblade by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-28-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Miracles by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

12-24-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Landstill by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

11-14-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Control by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

11-07-2018 Combating Miracles by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

10-16-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Grixis Control with Brian Braun-Duin by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

10-10-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Control by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

09-20-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Esper Stoneblade by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

02-19-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Miracles with Anuraag Das and Sam Roukas by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

02-07-2018 Matchup Mulligan: 4c Pile by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-17-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Miracles by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-04-2017 Fighting Miracles in the Post-Top Era by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

04-20-2017 TES Matchup Battles: 4c Control by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

02-02-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Leovold Sultai by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-04-2016 Fighting the Miracles Menace by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

09-04-2015 Xantid Swarm Vs. The Metagame by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

Videos

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Stryfo with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ZYURYO with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheJigIsAlwaysup with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Svaca with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Bedell with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-25-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gernardi with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Preliminary – Bryant_Cook vs. BaronOfBacon with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Wurst_ with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. jacetmsst with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. Zaracias with 5c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-27-2020 Allen Yee vs. Phil Blechman with 4c Thopter Sword at Gamestoria, NYC

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Svaca with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Eli12 with BUG Leovold on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheZooKeeper with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. WarAndMagicTV with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. _maddy with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Ark4n with UW Stoneblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. PhilLesh with UW Stoneblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. stainerson with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Stryfo with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. t_gaule with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Ozymandias17 with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. FirstToThirst with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Denym with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Convo with Shardless BUG on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. AnziD104 with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. flowerdayonyon with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Redviking1993 with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Condescend with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

08-08-2018 Bryant Cook vs Brian Braun-Duin with Grixis Control on Legacy Premier League

07-14-2018 Michael Connin vs. Ali Mirghahari with UW Stoneblade at Prodigy Games: Lake Worth, FL

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. atdawn_theysleep with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Iwouldliketorespond with UW Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. flowerdayonyon with Deathblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Mikeantor11 with UW Stoneblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-04-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Jim Davis with Miracles at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs atdawn_theysleep with 4c Control (Round 4) on Magic Online (MTGO)

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs Momsen with 4c Control (Round 3) on Magic Online (MTGO)

05-04-2017 Romario Neto vs Anuraag Das with UWr Stoneblade on Legacy Premier League

04-17-2017 Nick Linder vs. Gabriel Meier with Miracles at Gameplace in Lucerne, Switzerland

03-18-2017 Bryant Cook vs. Joe Stempo with 4c Control at Eternal Extravaganza VI in Washington, DC

04-22-2016 Steven Fierro vs. Fred Chen with Deathblade at Fire & Dice in Woodland Hills, CA

08-22-2015 Joey Valente vs. Corey Armstrong with Shardless BUG at Fire & Dice in Woodland Hills, CA

08-11-2015 Jordon Robbins vs. Jon Ha with Miracles at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

01-10-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Zane Knapp with Esper Deathblade at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

08-10-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Lloyd Kurth with Shardless BUG at StarCityGames: Syracuse, NY

06-13-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Reid Duke with Miracles at StarCityGames Invitational: Columbus, OH

08-27-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Harry Corvece with Shardless BUG at StarCityGames: Baltimore, MD

06-23-2013 Matthew Bevenour vs. Brad Nelson with Esper Deathblade at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

03-17-2013 Bryant Cook vs. JD Nir with Esper Stoneblade at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

05-12-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Sam Roukas with BUG Control at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

02-11-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Tariq White with Stoneblade at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

[[Daze|]]

[[Spell Pierce|]]

[[Delver of Secrets|]]

The tempo decks are the one archetype that became more difficult from the switch to [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and [[Mox Opal]] based lists. The EPIC Storm added a fourth color and cut the basic [[Island]], which obviously isn’t ideal against [[Stifle]] and [[Wasteland]] strategies.

What is effective in this matchup?

How TES beats these decks is by setting up its mana efficiently. With decent mana, the rest will become much more obtainable. Search for basic [[Swamp]], then pair it with things like [[Mox Opal]], [[Chrome Mox]], and even [[Lotus Petal]]. From there, [[Defense Grid]] is an all-star against the deck with lots of cheap interaction. The best thing to do is to set up a turn protecting [[Defense Grid]] with [[Veil of Summer]]. This allows for more colors on your combo turn as well as more mana in general.

A few tips: [[Stifle]] can still counter abilities through [[Veil of Summer]], don’t fall into this trap. [[Stifle]] can also stop [[Wishclaw Talisman]], do not forget this!

A good practice is not to cast spells into the opponent’s copies of [[Daze]]. The easiest way of beating the opponent is to turn their cards into dead cards as [[Delver of Secrets]] strategies live on thin margins. If just a few of their cards become not effective, it’s a lot easier to navigate through whatever is left in the opponent’s hand.

A more recent addition to The EPIC Storm is [[Peer into the Abyss]]. Previously, our options for tempo matcups were either pressured by our life total ([[Ad Nauseam]] or [[Empty the Warrens]]) or symmetrical ([[Echo of Eons]]). Against these tempo decks, the lifetotal concern is very real against [[Delver of Secrets]] or even [[Dreadhorde Arcanist]], while [[Echo of Eons]] gives our blue opponents access to more copies of [[Force of Will]] and [[Force of Negation]]. It was a real tough spot to be in. Enter [[Peer into the Abyss]]. While it does use the life total — it doesn’t really. [[Peer into the Abyss]] can be cast from two life! This allows some time to set up a less-risky kill. The concern here is that [[Burning Wish]] into [[Peer into the Abyss]] is a nine-mana line. This is less of a concern post-board, however, when [[Carpet of Flowers]] enters the picture.

Sideboarding Concepts

[[Empty the Warrens]] has a natural friction in the deck because giving the opponent a [[Wishclaw Talisman]] at some point during the game and then turning off all of TES’s Storm cards. [[Empty the Warrens]] isn’t a reasonable plan if the opponent gets a tool to search up an answer to a horde of [[Goblin Token]]s.

With the rise of [[Null Rod]] as well as [[Collector Ouphe]] in the Tempo archetype, TES’s answer to [[Deafening Silence]] against Control strategies doubled as an answer to these two permanents — of course, I’m talking about [[Abrupt Decay]]. Another thing that can really help to defeat these [[Null Rod]] effects is to sideboard out a copies of [[Mox Opal]] and [[Chrome Mox]] for [[Carpet of Flowers]].

These [[Delver of Secrets]] decks are why [[Carpet of Flowers]] is in the sidbeoard. The green enchantment allows TES to cast spells effectively through [[Spell Pierce]] or [[Daze]], but it also completely changes the dynamic of the game. Opponents will often not cast two-mana threats in fear of not wanting to sacrifice fetchlands. In return, TES gets time to establish. [[Carpet of Flowers]] also beats [[Null Rod]] or [[Collector Ouphe]] that has resolved by providing enough mana to cast [[Burning Wish]] or simply the right colors to cast [[Abrupt Decay]].

Important Cards in the Match-up

Tempo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Daze]]
[[Stifle]]
[[Spell Pierce]]
[[Force of Will]]
[[Delver of Secrets]]
[[Wasteland]]

Sideboard

[[Null Rod]]
[[Collector Ouphe]]
[[Plague Engineer]]
[[Blazing Volley]]
[[Flusterstorm]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Swamp]]
[[Mox Opal]]
[[Lotus Petal]]
[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Defense Grid]]
[[Burning Wish]]

Sideboard

[[Peer into the Abyss]]
[[Carpet of Flowers]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Grapeshot]]
[[Empty the Warrens]]
[[Tendrils of Agony]]

Sideboarding

Grixis Delver:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Sultai Delver:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

RUG Delver:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

UW/x Delver:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

UR Delver:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Death’s Shadow:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Infect:

None

Merfolk:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Resource Links

Articles

05-14-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Lurrus Grixis Delver with Rich Cali by Theo Andresier on theepicstorm.com

05-12-2020 Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Delver II by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

11-28-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Delver with Michael Lewis by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

11-27-2019 Matchup Mulligan: RUG Delver II by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

11-25-2019 TES Matchup Battles: RUG Delver II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

06-26-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Delver II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-19-2019 TES Matchup Battles: UR Delver II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-13-2019 Matchup Mulligan: UR Delver by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

09-17-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Death’s Shadow with Ben Friedman by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

09-14-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Death’s Shadow by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-14-2018 Through the Looking Glass: RUG Delver with Eric Vergo by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

07-25-2018 Matchup Mulligan: RUG Delver by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-18-2018 TES Matchup Battles: RUG Delver by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

06-29-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Death’s Shadow by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

05-16-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Grixis Delver with Jonathan Sukenik by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

10-05-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Delver by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-03-2017 TES Matchup Battles: UR Delver by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

01-17-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Delver by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

Videos

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. kentaro_hokori with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gernardi with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Misplacedginger with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. MrJACEone with Ninjas on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. hutomomo with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. poporon3n with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. yehua with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. learntolove6 with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gul_Dukat with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ReturnToDust with Jeskai Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. NuBlkAu with Jeskai Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-25-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Shorak123 with Jeskai Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. JPA93 with Jeskai Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. easymoneymarksman with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. gnorilgrande with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. Gul_Dukat with 4c Arcanist on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-01-2020 Bryant Cook vs Evan Flynn with UR Delver at the Leaving A Legacy Open VI: Acton, MA

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. SknerusMcKwacz with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheStyle with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Mogged with Infect on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. harukasu with Infect on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheZooKeeper with Merfolk on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Samwise_GeeGee with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. fishduggery with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Breca with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Guitarmy with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Mzfroste with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Condescend with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ecobaronen with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. oga828 with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. m0ller with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. PhilLesh with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ReneRandrup with BUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. qbturtle15 with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. cspickle with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs.Leastbean with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. poporon3n with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Pikula with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Nathan Robinson with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. AdventuresWithTarmo with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. AntzzzOnALog with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. ReneRandrup with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. AntzzzOnALog with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Ultimar with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. yamakiller with BUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Kentaro_hokori with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Lennny with BUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. James_Zhi with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Mzfroste with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Eronrelentless with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-03-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Benjamin Nikolich with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

01-27-2018 AJ Kerrigan vs. Bob Huang with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

10-21-2017 Bryant Cook vs. Hans Jacob Goddick with BUG Delver at Eternal Weekend in Pittsburgh, PA

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs vs r4wk5t4r with Grixis Delver (Round 2) on Magic Online (MTGO)

08-08-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Jonathon Morawski with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

08-08-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Dylan Donegan with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

06-26-2015 Nicklas Lallo vs. Hannes Eriksson with Jeskai Delver at Scandinavian Open #5

05-23-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Andrew Boswell with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

08-10-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Dan Jordan with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Syracuse, NY

07-20-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Dylan Donegan with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Baltimore, MD

04-28-2014 AJ Kerrigan vs. Eric Rill with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Somerset, NJ

09-08-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Ben Friedman with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

07-07-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Jacob Wilson with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

03-17-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Ben Green with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

03-17-2013 David Fleischmann Rose vs. Ben Green with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben|]]

[[Eidolon of the Great Revel|]]

[[Goblin Chainwhirler|]]

These decks attack The EPIC Storm a little differently, attempting to lower TES’s life total very quickly to shut off [[Ad Nauseam]] while having very little disruption otherwise. If this is the case, don’t use life as a resource!

Some advice for these decks is to mulligan aggressively (especially under the London Mulligan). There’s little need to keep a bad or clunky seven-card hand when a six-card or five-card hand is capable of a kill before turn three. It actually works to TES’s advantage, but also aligns well with one of the deck’s game plans in [[Echo of Eons]]. It’s like starting the game fresh except for the fact that TES has a few permanents and hopefully some mana floating!

What is effective in this matchup?

Against these decks, it’s best to cast [[Empty the Warrens]] from a high life total very quickly. This should prevent losing to burn cards, [[Goblin Chainwhirler]], or too many blockers allowing the opponent to stabilize. If this isn’t an option, lean on [[Echo of Eons]] or [[Peer into the Abyss]]. Unlike the blue matchups, protection spells such as [[Thoughtseize]] or [[Veil of Summer]] are not as necessary as the opponent is extremely unlikely to have any sort of meaningful interaction in hand. The risk of drawing a bad seven-card hand with [[Echo of Eons]] is why its preferable to [[Empty the Warrens]] if possible. [[Empty the Warrens]] tends to be more of a sure-thing against these decks. Don’t risk an [[Ad Nauseam]] after turn one due to cards like [[Fireblast]] (Burn and sometimes Zoo) pressuring the life-total. Against these aggressive decks, [[Ad Nauseam]] is the primary engine against Goblins and Humans as the opponent rarely have instant speed damage or interaction in general. For decks with instant speed burn spells, [[Peer into the Abyss]] is preferable as it’s less dependent on life-total as a resource.

The two most common and important creatures against these decks are [[Eidolon of the Great Revel]] and [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]. It’s best to try to win before they come down and hit the table, but if either of these cards resolves, keep in mind that there’s a [[Grapeshot]] to get off of [[Burning Wish]] or in post-board games [[Chain of Vapor]] off of [[Wishclaw Talisman]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Against all of these decks, [[Veil of Summer]] is lacking. TES is looking to side in answers to what the opponent is trying to combat us with — permanent-based disruption. Try to keep in mind that a healthy balance between the answers and business is the best way of beating these decks. If the opening hand contains only answers, there will be games that TES doesn’t do much because your hand is too reactive and the opposite can be true as well. Having all business spells, but no way of removing a [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] from the table.

Recently, these decks have all adapted [[Mindbreak Trap]]. Prepare for this by leaving in [[Defense Grid]] which does seem strange against non-blue decks, but the protection from [[Mindbreak Trap]] is worthwhile. [[Defense Grid]] also stops things such as [[Pyroblast]] on [[Echo of Eons]] or other things like [[Surgical Extraction]] and [[Force of Vigor]].

Against Burn, have answers [[Eidolon of the Great Revel]] and [[Pyrostatic Pillar]]. Burn can have things such as [[Mindbreak Trap]] and [[Volcanic Fallout]] of the sideboard of the basic [[Mountain]] deck, so keep this in mind if the option of playing around these cards is presented.

For Goblins, prepare for artifacts post-board against the “little-red men” in the opponent’s attempt to prove they are the better Goblin deck (Spoiler: they’re not), these artifacts are likely [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Thorn of Amethyst]]. While The EPIC Storm is the better Goblin deck, [[Empty the Warrens]] is very unreliable against Goblins since the printing of [[Goblin Chainwhirler]]. While Goblins doesn’t play too many copies, there’s no need to risk losing to this card.

Humans and Zoo tend to play out fairly similar for The EPIC Storm despite the decks being very different. TES is simply looking to combo off before [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]], [[Gaddock Teeg]], [[Ethersworn Canonist]], and other disruptive friends hit the table. Keep in mind that Humans tends to play one or two main-deck sweepers for [[Goblin Token]]s and additional answers post-board. Remember to mulligan aggressively in these matchups.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Aggro’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]
[[Eidolon of the Great Revel]]
[[Gaddock Teeg]]
[[Sanctum Prelate]]
[[AEther Vial]]
[[Wasteland]]

Sideboard

[[Thorn of Amethyst]]
[[Pyrostatic Pillar]]
[[Ethersworn Canonist]]
[[Mindbreak Trap]]
[[Chalice of the Void]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Mox Opal]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Ad Nauseam]]

Sideboard

[[Grapeshot]]
[[Empty the Warrens]]
[[Peer into the Abyss]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Echoing Truth]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]

Sideboarding

Burn:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Goblins:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Zoo:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Humans:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

08-14-2020 Matchup Mulligan: Goblins by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

10-08-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Goblins by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-06-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Burn by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-09-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Burn by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

Videos

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. danielnunes with Silvers on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. danielnunes with Slivers on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-23-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Humans with Eddie Zamora on theepicstorm.com

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. TMT_Noski with Burn on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-07-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Jon Ashworth with Goblins at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

03-03-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Nick Patnode with Goblins at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

03-30-2011 Liam Kane vs. Patrick Sullivan with Burn at StarCityGames: Los Angeles, CA

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben|]]

[[Gaddock Teeg|]]

[[Sanctum Prelate|]]

These sort of decks can be divided into two categories, those with heavy hand disruption and those with permanent disruption. The more prevalent decks would be the [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] based decks like Death & Taxes or Maverick with the other decks being a little more uncommon such as Jund or Nic Fit.

What is effective in this matchup?

In the permanent based matchups, it all comes down to speed, especially in game one. On the play, prioritize mulliganing aggressively (thank you London Mulligan) for hands that can generate a lot of mana paired with a “tutor effect” to enable a fast kill or at the very least a horde of [[Goblin Token]]s. In these matchups, [[Ponder]] tends to be a lot stronger on the play than when on the draw as you can afford yourself one “free” turn to go undisrupted. On the draw, it’s actually fairly similar except more difficult since TES is not guaranteed an undisrupted second turn. Because of this, value being able to cast [[Echo of Eons]] on turn one on the draw if [[Empty the Warrens]] or [[Ad Nauseam]] are not available.

The exception of the undisrupted turn one is when facing 4-Color Loam as it plays [[Mox Diamond]] as well as [[Chalice of the Void]]. While mulliganing aggressively on the play is still ideal, the importance of [[Wishclaw Talisman]] (in post-board games for [[Chain of Vapor]]) and [[Burning Wish]] ([[Grapeshot]] and [[Pulverize]]) really go up on the draw.

Against the discard-based decks, consistency-based cards are exactly what TES likes, meaning that [[Ponder]] is an all-star. Even cards such as [[Veil of Summer]] are terrific as it’s essentially a cantrip that also protects you from hand disruption. One of the most effective ways of beating these decks is to resolve [[Echo of Eons]], which means using a [[Burning Wish]] for one early can often prohibit the opponent from casting [[Hymn to Tourach]] or [[Liliana of the Veil]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Against the permanent-based midrange decks, sideboard out [[Veil of Summer]] along with [[Defense Grid]] as neither will do much in the matchup. Bringing in effects like [[Abrupt Decay]] and [[Chain of Vapor]] along with other answers spells goes a long way.

A number of these [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] decks are often running [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Deafening Silence]] in the sideboard these days which is why bringing in [[Abrupt Decay]] is great. Even if the opponent doesn’t have these cards, [[Abrupt Decay]] also hits [[AEther Vial]], [[Ethersworn Canonist]], [[Phyrexian Revoker]], and even [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]! It’s a card that seems difficult to cast, but is secretly fine.

[[Chain of Vapor]] is a card thats importance has increased over the last few months. This slot was formerly occupied by additional copies of [[Echoing Truth]], but unlike [[Echoing Truth]] it’s much easier to cast in the face of [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] or [[Thorn of Amethyst]]. Recently, these matchups are all about “breaking serve”, and if the opponent’s cards are answered quickly and efficiently, TES pulls very far ahead. If not, the next turn the opponent follows up their [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] with a [[Sanctum Prelate]] and then a [[Phyrexian Revoker]]. [[Chain of Vapor]] quickly answers something and then TEST can combo off, without the need to pass the turn like [[Echoing Truth]]. In general, Legacy has not only become faster, but it has also become even more punishing than the past.

Against discard-based strategies the plan was to not sideboard in answers for permanent-based threats until [[Collector Ouphe]] (which is also in Maverick) was printed. TES should be preparing for this with copies of [[Chain of Vapor]] and [[Abrupt Decay]]. It’s an easy swap since [[Defense Grid]] isn’t very good in this matchup anyway.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Aggro’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]
[[Gaddock Teeg]]
[[Chalice of the Void]]
[[Wasteland]]
[[Stoneforge Mystic]]
[[Sanctum Prelate]]

Sideboard

[[Collector Ouphe]]
[[Ethersworn Canonist]]
[[Deafening Silence]]
[[Mindbreak Trap]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]
[[Plague Engineer]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Rite of Flame]]
[[Dark Ritual]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Burning Wish]]

Sideboard

[[Empty the Warrens]]
[[Grapeshot]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Pulverize]]

Sideboarding

Death & Taxes:

-3 [[Veil of Summer]]
-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Maverick:

-3 [[Veil of Summer]]
-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

4c Loam:

-3 [[Veil of Summer]]
-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

BG/x:

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
-2 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Nic Fit:

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
-2 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

07-22-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Maverick with Dan Neeley by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

05-09-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Maverick by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

04-17-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Death & Taxes II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

01-11-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Death & Taxes with Phillip Gallagher by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-13-2018 Matchup Mulligan: 4c Loam by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-23-2018 TES Matchup Battles: 4c Loam by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

05-24-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Maverick by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-22-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Death & Taxes by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-19-2016 TES Matchup Battles: Death & Taxes by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-29-2016 TES vs. Sanctum Prelate by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

05-25-2016 The Current State: Massacre by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-08-2016 The Current State: [[Chain of Vapor]] by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

Videos

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. StrasDaddy with Maverick on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. poriden with Maverick on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. MasashiNakamura with 4c Loam on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. yoshiwata with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. SaitoSan with Maverick on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Ultimar with Aggro D&T on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Mzfroste with Aggro D&T on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-25-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. hayatatsu with 4c Loam on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. reizooko with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ReQQuiem with Esper Hatebears on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. diabolik30 with Bant NO on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Skite with Esper Hatebears on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. oskiyaa with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Zaracias with GW Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gandalf_the_Grey with GW Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. SenorLarson with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-26-2019 Bryant Cook vs. Theodore Lockman with Death and Taxes at the Leaving A Legacy Open V: Acton, MA

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. maelstrom197 with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. maxbv with 4c Loam on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Bahra with 4c Loam on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Olivetti with Abzan Midrange on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. m0ller with Maverick on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. AvocadoToast with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-06-2019 Bryant Cook vs. Benjamin Capen with Death and Taxes at the Leaving A Legacy Open III: Acton, MA

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. luinil with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Koke_MTG with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. FlyingWhales with Maverick on Magic: the Gathering Online

08-08-2018 Bryant Cook vs Bob Huang with 4c Loam on Legacy Premier League

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. D00mwake with Death & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Karolmo with Death & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Magic-Michael with Death & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-03-2018 Kazu Negri vs. Zachary Koch with Death & Taxes at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

10-28-2017 Bryant Cook vs. David Kagan with Death & Taxes at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs HeyNongMan with 4c Loam (Round 5) on Magic Online (MTGO)

05-04-2017 Romario Neto vs Michael Bonde with Death & Taxes on Legacy Premier League

05-22-2016 Jesse Onland vs. Steven Liao with 4c Loam at Face to Face Games in Toronto, CA

04-30-2016 Jordon Robbins vs. Dane Davidson with Maverick at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

04-22-2016 Steven Fierro vs. Cory Haukka with Death & Taxes at Fire & Dice in Woodland Hills, CA

09-22-2014 Spencer Miller vs. Greg Pino with Bant Maverick at WUBRG.xyz

12-15-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Eli Kassis with Junk at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

06-17-2012 Ari Lax vs. Devin Badaczeski with Death & Taxes at StarCityGames: Detroit, MI

06-30-2011 AJ Kerrigan vs. James Rynkiewicz with NO-Bant at StarCityGames: Edison, NJ

[[Collector Ouphe|]]

[[Archon of Valor’s Reach|]]

[[Force of Vigor|]]

This category doesn’t really follow any rules except every deck contains some amount of small creatures and a disruptive element with a combo finish. It’s easiest to start off by comparing the two decks that are the most similar — [[Food Chain]] and [[Aluren]]. To TES, these decks are essentially the same A they both play [[Force of Will]], [[Thoughtseize]], and [[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]].

What is effective in this matchup?

[[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]] is an issue because it shuts down cantrips as well as [[Echo of Eons]]. The reason, however, is how the card works with [[Tendrils of Agony]]. The opponent will get to draw a card for each copy of [[Tendrils of Agony]], which then will often result in [[Mindbreak Trap]] or [[Flusterstorm]]. TES can beat this in a few ways, the first being [[Chain of Vapor]] (two copies are in the sideboard), [[Empty the Warrens]], [[Veil of Summer]] (does not stop [[Mindbreak Trap]]), and [[Defense Grid]]. Typically, [[Defense Grid]] is typically the best method.

Elves

Against most combo decks, [[Empty the Warrens]] isn’t an all-star — Elves is no exception. The issue is that these style of decks can both kill through blockers with huge trample creatures. The strategy for TES is to be fast while not using [[Empty the Warrens]] unless needed. [[Echo of Eons]] with a mana open is a much better option given the choice. Don’t get too comfort at any point in the game due to [[Natural Order]] for [[Archon of Valor’s Reach]] or even [[Green Sun’s Zenith]] for a main-deck [[Gaddock Teeg]] or [[Collector Ouphe]]. It’s no longer acceptable to wait a turn and see what happens due to these hate creatures — if there’s a window to combo off, take it!

Golgari Depths

Against most hand-disruption decks, play out your artifact mana and [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to avoid discard spells. Another plan is trying to [[Ponder]] or [[Brainstorm]] to set up [[Burning Wish]] on top of the deck until casting [[Ad Nauseam]] or [[Echo of Eons]]. These decks do play [[Abrupt Decay]] and [[Assassin’s Trophy]], but they play less artifact destruction effects than they do discard spells — play to the better odds. One recommendation that can’t emphasized enough is to not get blown out by [[Crop Rotation]] for [[Bojuka Bog]] messing up a pass the turn [[Echo of Eons]]. In general, [[Empty the Warrens]] is fine on the play, but sort of bad on the draw against a [[Marit Lage Token]] or even [[Plague Engineer]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Against [[Food Chain]] and [[Aluren]], it’s a slam dunk to cast [[Defense Grid]] as well as siding in the [[Chain of Vapor]] to mitigate the effectiveness of [[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]]. In post-board games, be concerned with a possible [[Mindbreak Trap]] or a more likely [[Flusterstorm]] off of the [[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]] triggers. As mentioned above, [[Empty the Warrens]] can be a little lack-luster. Focus on killing on the same turn rather than just playing around the issue.

For all of these decks, be prepared to play around [[Veil of Summer]]. This is possible via [[Defense Grid]] against the blue decks or for the non-blue decks, using [[Grapeshot]] instead of [[Tendrils of Agony]]. In a pinch, [[Empty the Warrens]] is an option, but it’s the plan that’s least desirable. Another consideration is for [[Force of Vigor]]. This is crucial for sequencing your spells mostly. Play artifacts in an order so that [[Force of Vigor]] matters very little. For example, [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] should always be the last artifact played since because of priority, and then cast [[Burning Wish]] before sacrificing it.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Small Creature Combo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Archon of Valor’s Reach]]
[[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]]
[[Natural Order]]
[[Green Sun’s Zenith]]
[[Cabal Therapy]]
[[Crop Rotation]]
[[Dark Depths]]

Sideboard

[[Deafening Silence]]
[[Collector Ouphe]]
[[Gaddock Teeg]]
[[Force of Vigor]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Mindbreak Trap]]
[[Veil of Summer]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Ad Nauseam]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]

Sideboard

[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Grapeshot]]
[[Peer into the Abyss]]
[[Echo of Eons]]

Sideboarding

Elves:

-2 [[Veil of Summer]]
-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Food Chain:

-1 [[Mox Opal]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Aluren:

-1 [[Mox Opal]]
-1 [[Chrome Mox]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]

Golgari Depths:

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

02-04-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Golgari Depths with Tom Hepp by Landon Sworts on theepicstorm.com

01-31-2020 Depths vs. TES by Tom Hepp on minmaxblog.com

01-09-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Elves with Adam Wallace by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

12-05-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Elves II by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-17-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Turbo Depths by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

04-23-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Elves by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

04-03-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Elves by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

02-27-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Turbo Depths by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

01-15-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Aluren by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

10-17-2017 Through the Looking Glass: Elves with Julian Knab by Jasper Gardener Burch on theepicstorm.com

Videos

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Kanonenfutter with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Preliminary – Bryant_Cook vs. jjkbb2005 with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. makoeyesX with Golgari Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gandalf_the_Grey with Golgari Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. luinil with BUG Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. DNSolver with Golgari Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. FlyingTempest with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Julian23 with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. hatjax with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gul_Dukat with Turbo Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Oliver Tomajko with Infect at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Cartesian with Aluren on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-28-2015 AJ Kerrigan vs. Tom Ross with Infect at StarCityGames: Somerset, NJ

10-13-2015 Jordon Robbins vs. George Boone with Infect at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

08-09-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Zach Koch with Infect at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

01-10-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Rich Meyst with Elves at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

10-02-2011 Jason Golembiewski vs. Chris Anderson with Elves at StarCityGames: Indianapolis, IN

07-24-2011 Liam Kane vs. Joe Lossett with Elves at StarCityGames: Seattle, WA

[[Griselbrand|]]

[[Show and Tell|]]

[[Reanimate|]]

A series of combo decks that aim to put [[Griselbrand]] in play while disrupting the opponent, and are often fast. Casting [[Empty the Warrens]] against these decks isn’t exactly ideal…

What is effective in this matchup?

[[Veil of Summer]] is very effective against all of these decks and for different reasons! Against the [[Show and Tell]] decks, it protects the combo and against the Reanimator decks it protects TES from discard. It’s truly amazing here. A cool trick about [[Veil of Summer]] is how it can prevent the triggered ability of [[Chancellor of the Annex]]! Once [[Veil of Summer]] resolves, (Yes, you must pay the tax this one time), the [[Chancellor of the Annex]] trigger doesn’t need to be paid for after. This is because the trigger says, “counter” and spells can’t be countered.

These decks can simply go over [[Goblin Token]]s which is the primary reason not to cast [[Empty the Warrens]] in these matchups. [[Griselbrand]] is not only a better [[Batterskull]] against The EPIC Storm, but [[Griselbrand]] will likely draw into [[Emrakul, the Aeon’s Torn]] or [[Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Recently [[Leyline of Sanctity]] has fallen out of favor for the [[Show and Tell]] decks. This means the plan is to not adapt by siding in a sideboard copy of [[Chain of Vapor]]. This can change for game three, but remember, there is an avenue to victory using [[Empty the Warrens]]. That said, beating a [[Leyline of Sanctity]] with main deck-copies of [[Veil of Summer]] and [[Defense Grid]] works because neither targets the opponent. An ideal play with [[Defense Grid]] is putting it into play off of [[Show and Tell]]! In most cases, that will render the draw seven ability of [[Griselbrand]] fairly useless. It’s also worth noting that [[Wishclaw Talisman]] can be put into play off of [[Show and Tell]]. This helps on the combo turn as TES is more likely to be able to win through a [[Griselbrand]] activation due to responding with a [[Veil of Summer]].

For the Reanimator matchups, [[Chain of Vapor]] is the preferred answer for their big creatures as these decks as it’s easier to resolve through the [[Chancellor of the Annex]] trigger. The other white flying angel to be concerned with is [[Iona, Shield of Emeria]], which is another reason to bring in bounce spells!

Important Cards in the Matchup

Large Creature Combo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Force of Will]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Griselbrand]]
[[Reanimate]]
[[Show and Tell]]
[[Spell Pierce]]

Sideboard

[[Flusterstorm]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]
[[Leyline of Sanctity]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Defense Grid]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Ad Nauseam]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]

Sideboard

[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Peer into the Abyss]]

Sideboarding

UG Omnitell:

None

Sneak & Show:

None

UB Reanimator:

None

RB Reanimator:

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

06-24-2020 TES Matchup Battles: UG Omni-Tell by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

06-18-2020 Matchup Mulligan: UG Omni-Tell by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

06-16-2020 Through the Looking Glass: UG Omnitell with Aldrich Saplan by Theo Andresier on theepicstorm.com

11-15-2018 Through the Looking Glass: BR Reanimator with Eric Landon by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

06-03-2018 Matchup Mulligan: BR Reanimator by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-09-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Show & Tell with JPA93 by Jasper Gardener Burch on theepicstorm.com

11-13-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Sneak & Show by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

03-14-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Sneak & Show by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

Videos

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. nietzreznor with Sneak and Show on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Preliminary – Bryant_Cook vs. Basic_Swamp with UG Omnitell on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. maximusdee with BR Reanimator on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. Maraxus_of_NL with UG Omnitell on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. Deverlain with UG Omnitell on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-01-2020 Bryant Cook vs Matthew Orfanello with UG Omnitell at the Leaving A Legacy Open VI: Acton, MA

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. OompaLoompa with Sneak and Show on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Iwouldliketorespond with UB Reanimator on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. jtlox with Sneak and Show on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Monkey_Island with Cloudpost on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Suabe with Sneak and Show on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Aylett with Mono-Black Reanimator on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Bob Huang with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

05-04-2017 Romario Neto vs Patrick Dickmann with Sneak & Show on Legacy Premier League

06-26-2015 Nicklas Lallo vs. Mikael Johansson with Omnitell at Scandinavian Open #5

05-23-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Max Brown with Omnitell at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

07-20-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Todd Anderson with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Baltimore, MD

11-13-2013 Ari Lax vs. Allen Pennington with Tin-Fins at Grand Prix: Washington, DC

02-10-2013 Si Ning Li vs. Joshua Ravitz with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Edison, NJ

12-09-2012 Jacob Kory vs. Richard Centanni with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Las Vegas, NV

05-12-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Eli Kassis with Sneak & Show at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

[[Thoughtseize|]]

[[Veil of Summer|]]

[[Flusterstorm|]]

These matches are two ships passing in the night with slight interaction. Keep explosive hands containing [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and “tutor effects” or at the very least a cantrip and a [[Veil of Summer]].

What is effective in this matchup?

Being fast is the primary goal. The biggest piece of advice to follow for these decks is to mulligan aggressively (especially under the London Mulligan). There’s little need to keep a bad or clunky seven-card hand when a six-card or five-card hand can kill the opponent before turn three. It actually works to The EPIC Storm’s advantage, but also aligns well with one of the deck’s game plans in [[Echo of Eons]]. This will rebuild our initial hand, and starts the game fresh except for the fact that TES usually has a few permanents and hopefully some mana floating!

Against most hand-disruption decks, play out your artifact mana and [[Wishclaw Talisman]] onto the battlefield. That or trying to [[Ponder]] or [[Brainstorm]] for a [[Burning Wish]] to place on top of the deck until ready to cast [[Ad Nauseam]] or [[Echo of Eons]] — this helps to play around discard spells. One of the most effective ways to play around discard spells is to search for [[Echo of Eons]] early with [[Burning Wish]] and then just sit there until it is cast. Having access [[Veil of Summer]] is great as well.

[[Echo of Eons]] has the added benefit against many of these decks by resetting their primary tool (the graveyard), use this to gain an advantage! [[Ad Nauseam]] if possible as it’s still the deck’s primary engine. Like against most other blazing fast matchups, [[Empty the Warrens]] is not desirable the opponent can often kill TES before dying. Realistically, [[Empty the Warrens]] should only be cast in dire situations.

Sideboarding Concepts

It’s a little odd, but in a number of these matchups zero cards come in from the sideboard or just small adjustments for small percentages. Both [[Veil of Summer]] and [[Thoughtseize]] are key players here! TES is essentially pre-boarded for the “mirror-match” so to speak. Against Ad Nauseam Tendrils (ANT), expect [[Flusterstorm]] and [[Veil of Summer]]. The tricky part is an untapped fetchland on turn one could mean either. Playing out artifacts early on and then on a later turn using a “tutor effect” into a pay-off spell such as [[Ad Nauseam]] or [[Echo of Eons]] is the easiest way of playing around [[Flusterstorm]] if it’s not discarded. Beating [[Veil of Summer]] is rather easy though, in The EPIC Storm reaching 20 storm isn’t all that difficult thanks to [[Ad Nauseam]], [[Peer into the Abyss]], and to a lesser extent [[Echo of Eons]].

In post-board games, simply look to [[Grapeshot]] the opponent, then [[Tendrils of Agony]], and if the opponent has a [[Veil of Summer]] and can’t reach enough Storm count then cast [[Empty the Warrens]].

[[High Tide]] is a little different as TES needs to fight against copies of [[Force of Will]] and [[Flusterstorm]]. [[Defense Grid]] and [[Carpet of Flowers]] are true bombs in this matchup as both can truly cripple the [[High Tide]] opponent.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Combo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[High Tide]]
[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Goblin Charbelcher]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Cabal Therapy]]

Sideboard

[[Flusterstorm]]
[[Echoing Truth]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]
[[Veil of Summer]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Defense Grid]]
[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Mox Opal]]

Sideboard

[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Peer into the Abyss]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Tendrils of Agony]]
[[Grapeshot]]

Sideboarding

ANT/TES:

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]
+1 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Belcher:

-3 [[Veil of Summer]]
-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Dredge (Mana):

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Dredge (Manaless):

None

High Tide:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+4 [[Carpet of Flowers]]

Grixis Phoenix:

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Hogaak:

-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

04-28-2020 TES Matchup Battles: Doomsday by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

04-23-2020 Matchup Mulligan: Doomsday by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

04-21-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Doomsday with Ethan Formichella by Theo Andresier on theepicstorm.com

02-25-2020 TES Matchup Battles: Jeskai Breach by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

02-18-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Jeskai Breach with Stefan Schütz by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

02-11-2020 Matchup Mulligan: Jeskai Breach by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-23-2020 Matchup Mulligan: The EPIC Storm by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-21-2020 TES Matchup Battles: The EPIC Storm by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

10-30-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Hogaak with Kat Light by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

10-22-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Hogaak by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

10-17-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Hogaak by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-20-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Ad Nauseam Tendrils by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

04-30-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Ad Nauseam Tendrils with Brandon Osborne on theepicstorm.com

03-27-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Grixis Phoenix with Callum Smith on theepicstorm.com

02-25-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Phoenix by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

02-07-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Phoenix by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-29-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Dredge (Mana) with Patrick Schuster by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

11-06-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Dredge by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-29-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Dredge by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

09-17-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Storm by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

Videos

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. revenantkioku with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. karintoo with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

05-03-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. monkeyscantcry with Doomsday on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-30-2020 Legacy Double-Dash – Bryant Cook vs. Cyrus Corman-Gill with Ad Nauseam Tendrils on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheHollywoodMK with Doomsday on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. wonderPreaux with Ad Nauseam Tendrils on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Aigis with Ad Nauseam Tendrils on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. GiorgioCombo with The EPIC Storm on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. AnziD with Jeskai Breach on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Ark4n with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. LuisMJ with Hogaak on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. fistfullofmetal with Manaless Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. MahfuzVanGogh with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Fuz65 with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. youmeandiowa with DETH on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. CryptomancerRB with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Orim67 with Hogaaak Zombies on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. THE_DADDY with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-06-2019 Bryant Cook vs. Kenton Najdzien with Grixis Phoenix at the Leaving A Legacy Open III: Acton, MA

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Guitarmy with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. SpatulaOfTheAges with Enchantress on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. albertoSD with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. LindenPaine with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Michael Connin vs. Anthony Garcia with High Tide at Prodigy Games: Lake Worth, FL

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. DNSolver with Reanimator Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. mh99 with TES on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ExpectNoMercy with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. muecke with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-16-2013 Jeremy Stowe vs. Andrew Dziedz with Dredge at StarCityGames: Milwaukee, MN

07-07-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Royce Walter with TES at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

11-05-2011 Liam Kane vs. Caleb Neufeld with Dredge at StarCityGames: Las Vegas, NV

[[Chalice of the Void|]]

[[Karn, the Great Creator|]]

[[Sphere of Resistance|]]

Against all of these decks, be fast and protect your lands while hopefully dodging [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Karn, the Great Creator]]!

What is effective in this matchup?

The first step to winning these matchups is to search for basic land(s). This is especially crucial for playing around [[Wasteland]]. If the opponent is also packing [[Ghost Quarter]], consider leaving one in your deck. One way to do this is to sit on fetchlands as long as possible.

For beating Eldrazi Stompy or other [[Chalice of the Void]] aggro decks, look to win quickly. Once again, lean into the London Mulligan. [[Echo of Eons]] is a resource to get back into the game if need be.

If the opening hand doesn’t win quickly, get permanents on the battlefield as quickly as possible. This gets underneath permanents like [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Thought-Knot Seer]]. It’s hard to exile a [[Wishclaw Talisman]] from the battlefield with the 4/4 creature! [[Wishclaw Talisman]] can also search up [[Chain of Vapor]] in a pinch. Be careful — [[Wishclaw Talisman]] is shut off by [[Karn, the Great Creator]]. Don’t get too comfortable!

[[Karn, the Great Creator]] tends to be an issue because it’s a one-sided [[Null Rod]] that shuts off all of TES’s artifact mana in [[Chrome Mox]], [[Mox Opal]], [[Lotus Petal]], and [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. [[Karn, the Great Creator]] will then lock the up the game completely by retrieving a [[Mycosynth Lattice]] which, in conjunction with [[Karn, the Great Creator]], will stops all cards from working properly. Another downside of [[Karn, the Great Creator]] is sometimes it finds an answer to a horde of [[Goblin Token]]s with the sideboard [[Ratchet Bomb]]. That said, [[Empty the Warrens]] is still a very strong plan against the prison decks.

[[Burning Wish]] has gotten better against lands as a combo enabler. Previously, [[Empty the Warrens]] was a liability because it’s easily answered by [[The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale]] and [[Dark Petition]] was risky due to [[Crop Rotation]] into [[Bojuka Bog]]. Since then, [[Echo of Eons]] has been added and a sideboard copy of [[Peer into the Abyss]] over [[Dark Petition]] to smooth those things over! [[Burning Wish]] is an even stronger tool in post-board games due to [[Pulverize]]. Against all of these decks, [[Burning Wish]] is highly valued in the opening hand due to the ability to answer [[Chalice of the Void]] or even a possible [[Thorn of Amethyst]].

A cool thing about [[Pulverize]] is it can stop your opponent from playing [[Mycosynth Lattice]]! A tip regarding [[Pulverize]] in these match-ups is to conceal or hide the [[Mountain]]s until casting [[Pulverize]]. This can be done by sitting on fetchlands like [[Bloodstained Mire]] or holding the [[Badlands]] or [[Volcanic Island]] in hand.

For the Bomberman matchup, try to keep hands with a lot of zero-casting-cost artifacts. Their deck also plays quite a few zero-converted-mana-cost spells, which prohibits them from playing [[Chalice of the Void]] for zero.

Sideboarding Concepts

While [[Veil of Summer]] can allow zero mana spells to resolve through a [[Chalice of the Void]] on zero, but it’s not very reliable. For this reason, sideboard it out as the green instant has very little impact on the matchup. From here, bring in TES’s suite of answers: [[Chain of Vapor]] and [[Abrupt Decay]].

[[Chain of Vapor]] is the best bounce spell for answering [[Karn, the Great Creator]] and [[Sphere of Resistance]], but tends to be weak against [[Chalice of the Void]]. If possible, try to sequence [[Abrupt Decay]] to destroy any copies of [[Chalice of the Void]] and then leave [[Chain of Vapor]] for whatever is left. [[Chain of Vapor]] can even bounce [[Marit Lage Token]] in a pinch!

Important Cards in the Match-up

Prison’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Chalice of the Void]]
[[Thought-Knot Seer]]
[[Thorn of Amethyst]]
[[Ancient Tomb]]
[[Karn, the Great Creator]]
[[Ghost Quarter]]

Sideboard

[[Ratchet Bomb]]
[[Leyline of the Void]]
[[Sphere of Resistance]]
[[Thorn of Amethyst]]
[[Trinisphere]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Swamp]]
[[Mox Opal]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Burning Wish]]

Sideboard

[[Pulverize]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Peer into the Abyss]]
[[Empty the Warrens]]

Sideboarding

Eldrazi/Chalice Aggro:

-3 [[Veil of Summer]]
-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Bomberman:

-3 [[Veil of Summer]]
-2 [[Defense Grid]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Lands:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

07-22-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Titanic Dryad with Kellen Pastore by Theo Andresier on theepicstorm.com

07-22-2020 TES Matchup Battles: Titanic Dryad by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

07-09-2020 Matchup Mulligan: Titanic Dryad by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

03-24-2020 TES Matchup Battles: Eldrazi Ramp II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-17-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Eldrazi Ramp with Micah Lupa by Theo Andresier on theepicstorm.com

03-12-2020 Matchup Mulligan: Eldrazi Ramp by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-16-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Bomberman by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

05-21-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Eldrazi Ramp by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-22-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Lands with Jarvis by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

03-19-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Eldrazi by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-16-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Eldrazi by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-13-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Lands by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

09-27-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Lands by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-07-2016 Storming Through the Rise of the Eldrazi by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

Videos

07-26-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. yamakiller with Urza Stompy on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Flow_true with Eldrazi Aggro on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. yamakiller with Urza Stompy on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-04-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. cbsteph with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-25-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Deathrite1221 with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-25-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. habsburger with Eldrazi on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. KelMasterP with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-19-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. CaptainFarbosa with Urza Stompy on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Preliminary – Bryant_Cook vs. _goblinlackey with Eldrazi on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Preliminary – Bryant_Cook vs. markdm with Eldrazi on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-29-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. yamakiller with Eldrazi on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-26-2020 Legacy Super Qualifier – Bryant_Cook vs. chefen with Eldrazi on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-13-2020 Allen Yee vs. Phil Blechman with 5c Lands at Gamestoria, NYC

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. bobsbread with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. xJCloud with Bomberman on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Pathy with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. twin_mtg with Bomberman on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Hulahula with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. franticpats with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Pathy with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Aylett with Eldrazi on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Lagerbon with Chalice & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. CrazyCranium with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Iziter with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Nocley with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

08-08-2018 Bryant Cook vs Jarvis Yu with Lands on Legacy Premier League

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. hardtimes4Nik with Eldrazi Aggro on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Call1Me1Dragon with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-30-2016 Jordon Robbins vs. Eric Yu with Lands at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

[[Blood Moon|]]

[[Fiery Confluence|]]

[[Karn, the Great Creator|]]

This matchup is very similar to the Prison decks above, make sure to read that as well. The difference between those decks and this archetype is that this category of decks goes after mana harder. Between [[Blood Moon]], [[Magus of the Moon]], [[Chalice of the Void]], [[Sphere of Resistance]], [[Thorn of Amethyst]], [[Trinisphere]], and [[Karn, the Great Creator]] it’s a lot to take on!

What is effective in this matchup?

More important than ever, it’s important to search for your basics! Fortunately, TES doesn’t need to worry about [[Wasteland]]. What’s nice about these decks (as well as Lands above) is that [[Chrome Mox]] and [[Mox Opal]] act as a basic land that is very difficult for the opponent to interact with.

[[Burning Wish]] into [[Pulverize]] is great these matchups, it can’t be emphasized enough! Unlike the Prison decks, these [[Blood Moon]] style decks very often give TES the [[Mountain]]s that are required for [[Pulverize]]’s alternate casting cost making it a slam dunk. Because of this, [[Burning Wish]] is highly valued in any hand when on the draw. There’s also [[Wishclaw Talisman]] into [[Chain of Vapor]], but be careful — [[Wishclaw Talisman]] is shut off by [[Karn, the Great Creator]]. Don’t get too comfortable!

Something to should keep in mind is that while [[Empty the Warrens]] allows for a quick combo, these decks do play between 2-3 copies of [[Fiery Confluence]]. Meaning, playing a discard spell post-[[Goblin Token]]s, look to hit this. Some lists even play a [[Ratchet Bomb]] to get with [[Karn, the Great Creator]]…

Sideboarding Concepts

While [[Veil of Summer]] can allow zero-mana spells to resolve through a [[Chalice of the Void]] on zero, but it’s not very reliable. For this reason, sideboard out [[Veil of Summer]] as it has little impact on the matchup. From here, bring in TES’s suite of answers: [[Chain of Vapor]] and [[Abrupt Decay]].

[[Chain of Vapor]] is the best bounce spell for answering [[Karn, the Great Creator]] and [[Sphere of Resistance]] but tends to be weaker to [[Chalice of the Void]]. If possible, try to sequence [[Abrupt Decay]] to destroy any copies of [[Chalice of the Void]] and then leave [[Chain of Vapor]] for whatever is left.